The friendship between Sean Cameron and Craig Manning developed in the second season of Degrassi: The Next Generation.
Friendship History[]
Overview[]
Sean and Craig met on the first day of school in Season 2, after Craig transferred to Degrassi. Sean bumped into Craig after glaring at Jimmy when overhearing an insult from him. Sean soon learned about Craig's troubled relationship with his father Albert Manning and helped him find a safe home with Joey. However, the two began drifting apart as Craig became close friends with Spinner Mason, Jimmy Brooks, and Marco Del Rossi. They eventually developed separate interests and friends. By the beginning of Season 3, they had drifted apart entirely.
Season 2[]
In When Doves Cry (1), Sean and Craig meet when Craig bumps into Sean in the hallway. and Sean tells him to watch where he’s going. Craig apologizes, and says he's lost. When Sean tells him to get a map, Craig shows Sean that he already has one. Meanwhile, several girls flirt with both of them, Sean’s mood changes and helps him find his home room, and at dinner Craig talks about Sean to his dad.
In When Doves Cry (2), Craig locks himself in his room and calls Sean, asking if he can come over and begins packing his clothes. His father tried to open the door and began beating down the door with a golf club (it is implied he was going to beat him with it) and when he finally got in, Craig was gone. Sean and Craig are walking on train tracks. Craig starts to talk about his plans of running away to British Columbia. Craig asks about Sean's parents and if they've ever beaten him. Sean says no and asks if his have. Craig doesn't answer and a train begins to come. Sean gets off the tracks but, Craig is still on them, watching the train come toward him. Sean tells him to get off and when the train is just about to hit him, Sean pushes Craig off the tracks. Sean asks him what his problem is and Craig runs off. Sean realizes that Craig's father does abuse Craig, so he runs to Emma to tell her that they must get Craig before he runs away to British Columbia. Emma and Sean then race to Joey and tell them what they've discovered about Craig being abused.
In Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, Craig and Sean are walking in the hallway when Craig bumps into Emma Nelson and Manny Santos, and asks them if they are going to the dance that night. They says they can't because they're in Grade 8, and Craig teases Sean about how he can't go even, as Sean repeated Grade 7, meaning he should have been in the same grade as Craig, and therefore would have gone to go to the dance.
In Karma Chameleon, Jimmy pushed Sean into a locker when he found out that he was going on a date with Ashley Kerwin. Craig broke up the fight before it could go any further and asked Sean if he was alright. Later that day at the cafeteria, Craig and Sean were getting lunch and Craig witnessed Sean pay for Ashley's lunch as she was short of money. Ashley thanked Sean and asked him if they were going to continue pretending that nothing had happened. They agreed to be friends. When Ashley left, Craig asked Sean what had happened between them. Sean responded that they hooked up at party the previous year. Craig said, "And she’s ignored you ever since. Well, she’s not ignoring you now."
In Drive, Joey goes out for the weekend and tells Craig that he can invite a couple of friends over on three conditions: "No booze, no girls, and no parties." Craig agrees to his terms and then invites Sean, Jimmy, Marco Del Rossi and Spinner Mason. However, Jimmy, angry that Sean was invited, did not attend. They have a very quiet night at home, that is until the boys decide to go to Joey's car dealership and take a car out for a joy ride. They have fun getting tickets to a Kid Elrick concert and driving around, that is until they come back to the car dealership and see Joey furious. Joey sends the other boys home, grounds Craig, and rips up their concert tickets.
In Message in a Bottle, Craig was glad that Sean came to Jimmy's party but became concerned as it was obvious that he had been drinking. When Sean began searching for more alcohol, Craig asked him where Emma was. Sean told him that she was at home and they had broken up. When Craig mentioned that they had just gotten back together, Sean said that he had insulted her mother Christine Nelson and that Emma would never forgive him. Craig pointed out that he did not know that for certain and advised him to call her.
In Tears Are Not Enough (1), Craig introduced Sean to his father Albert Manning, who surprised him by coming to see him at Degrassi. Dr. Manning offered Sean his hand but he refused to take it and spat on the ground in front of him as he was aware that he had regularly beaten Craig.
In Tears Are Not Enough (2), Sean attended Dr. Manning's funeral and was shocked and concerned when Craig began laughing in the middle of the service.
Season 3[]
In Gangsta, Gangsta, Craig complained to Sean about how shop class was supposed to be his "bird course", but he was having trouble, while Sean excelled in the class. When Jay Hogart was staring at Sean from across the room, Craig asked him what Jay's problem was. He told Sean not to mess with him, but Sean did not listen and instead offered help to Jay with his car. He left and went back to his project, where Craig was standing.
Season 4[]
Craig shows up at Sean's.
In Ghost in the Machine (1), Craig leaves Joey's house after an argument. He is seen showing up at Sean's door and Sean lets him in to spend the night.
In Time Stands Still (2), both were in the halls of Degrassi during the shooting. Craig saw Jimmy on the ground moments after he got shot, and Toby encountered Rick as he was about to shoot Emma when Sean stepped in the way and eventually shot Rick in self defense with his own gun. Both were traumatized by the event but more-so Sean.
In Back in Black, in a deleted scene, Sean stands up for Toby, after Craig berates him for being Rick’s friend and putting role playing dice on the site of Rick's death, saying that Toby tried to talk Rick down. He adds that it was more than Craig did. Craig responds that he saw someone get shot. Sean says they did too but that their guy died. Sean walks off after setting the dice back down and Craig walks off, defeated.
Season 6[]
In What's It Feel Like to Be a Ghost? (1), Sean attended Craig's show along with Emma and Manny.
Trivia[]
- Sean was the first friend that Craig made at Degrassi.
- Craig was one month older than Sean: Craig was born in September 1988 while Sean was born the following October.
- Two of Sean's ex-girlfriends, Emma Nelson and Ellie Nash, have had unrequited crushes on Craig, although Craig kissed the latter in both What's It Feel Like to Be a Ghost? (2) and Degrassi Goes Hollywood and eventually developed feelings for her.
- They both kissed Ashley Kerwin but only Craig dated her.
- They both were love interests of Emma Nelson, but only Sean dated her.
- They both kissed and were love interests of Ellie Nash, but only Sean dated her.
- They were both originally members of the Class of 2006 but neither graduated with that class: Craig dropped out in Together Forever and Sean was held back in Eye of the Beholder and eventually expelled in Here Comes Your Man (2).
- They were both big fans of Kid Elrick.
- It was never made clear exactly why Craig and Sean stopped being friends after Season 2.
- Both had a conflict with Peter Stone.
- Sean had a conflict with Craig's close friend Jimmy Brooks but it was eventually resolved.
- They are both former friends of Spinner Mason.
- Sean used to be friends with Craig's best friend Marco Del Rossi.
- Sean was friends with Craig's ex-girlfriend Manny Santos, and Craig was friends with Sean's ex-girlfriend Emma Nelson.
- They both attempted suicide: Craig in When Doves Cry (2) and Sean in Back In Black.
- They both prevented a friend from committing suicide: Sean saved Craig himself in When Doves Cry (2) while Craig (and Marco) saved Ellie in Degrassi Goes Hollywood.
- They each had poor relationships with one or both of their parents: Sean's parents Mr. Cameron and Nona Cameron were alcoholics, which led him to live with his elder brother Tracker Cameron, while Craig's father Albert Manning beat him.
- Along with Ashley, Sean is one of only two friends of Craig's to have met his father.
- Sean attended the funeral of Craig's father in Tears Are Not Enough (2).
- They both attended Archie Simpson and Christine Nelson's wedding in January 2003 in White Wedding (2).
- They both had relatives who moved to Alberta: Sean's elder brother Tracker and Craig's stepfather Joey Jeremiah and younger half-sister Angela Jeremiah.
